


Rictusempra

by EnnynDurin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Battle of Hogwarts, Developing a Friendship, Drarry, M/M, War Era, then stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 08:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3803815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnnynDurin/pseuds/EnnynDurin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rictusempra (Tickling Charm) </p><p>A story about Harry and Draco's developing, and unlikely friendship during and after the war. The slow build of an alliance that, through thick and thin, finally became something more.<br/>~ (updated roughly once or twice a week!) ~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The War

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by this gif http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luysl2u0NX1qmnecq.gif and a few stray thoughts I always had regarding Draco's character. I never believed that he and Harry couldn't patch things up, we're all jerks as kids, and those of us who are not, are very often forgiving. A Hero complex versus the need to be the close centre of attention seemed like two pieces of a puzzle which, despite not being made to fit together, very well do. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters in any way; it belongs to the amazing J. K. Rowling and ever so splendid Warner Brothers studios that make those charming films. As obvious, no profit is being made from posting this work of fanfiction ~

~ oOo ~ 

One Year and a Week Ago: 

Potter fell from Hagrid’s arms and the Dark Lord watched with a feeling of dismay, unnable to comprehend what was happening as the prophecy unfolded before his eyes. As if in slow motion, the boy he so feared ran to his friends casting a ‘Confringo!’ onto him mid-run, unstoppable, searching for the last shred of victory. The half-man half-monster blasted in a wave of heat and pressure, seemingly escaping for the time being.  
With He Who must not be Named's breathless grasp weakening Lucius tried an escape, he touched Narcissa’s shoulder in a wordless agreement, walking away from Hogwarts, away from the War, and away from his past.  
‘Stop!’ shouted Draco ‘please, just…stop!’  
‘Come with us boy, right now, before it’s too late!’ shouted Lucius, shaking, unable to control his emotions and shedding his aristocratic power play. Draco ignored his father, embracing mother and speaking to both of his parents ‘I can’t leave him, I can’t leave now. I owe that bloke my life and I can’t keep running away from _this_.’ he whispered then ‘Go mother. _Go_. Take father with you and hide, I have something I have to do before I join you.’  
As he walked into Hogwarts rather than away from it, Draco watched as his father did the opposite, running away without a second look behind. Narcissa however, lingered, hopeful, all too knowingly.

~ oOo ~

‘He’s hiding’ whispered Harry ‘probably licking his wounds before he tries to kill me again…’ he looked at his two best-friends ‘Bring everyone inside and kill the damn snake, you hear me? Kill her! There’s nobody else I trust as much as you two, if you can’t do it, nobody else can.’ Hermione hugged him and Ron joined them, mourning.  
As they parted, strangled cries of ‘Potter!’ filled the ruins of the once beautiful Hogwarts, a course, strangled call got closer, never ceasing ‘Potter!...Potter!’ As Draco reached the raven haired boy he cast his arms around him in a tight, uncharacteristic awkward hug. ‘Thank Merlin you’re alive! I’m so sorry Potter…’ Nonsensical words left his mouth, hands on Harry’s shoulder as he struggled to regain his posture.  
Harry just stood there staring beyond himself, incapable of believing that his nemesis came back for him, that he hugged him, even. They both glanced sideways trying to cut through the gawkiness of the situation before walking side by side towards the castle in a slow, languid pace, finally sitting together in a clumsy half broken step amidst death and destruction.  
Draco spoke first.  
‘All my life, I only ever followed my parents. I obliged to their wishes, gave up on myself blinded by the need to please father, to make him proud of me.’ Draco looked up into Harry’s green eyes ‘I never once considered that my beliefs were not my own, but _his_. Never once did I rightly awake to the evil, dark meaning of it all. I’m so sorry Potter… _Harry_ , I really am so sorry. Right now I owe you my life, and I…’ Draco was cut off by Harry’s hand on his shoulder, softly foraging down to rest on his lower arm.  
‘As touching as this is Draco, which _it is_ , I need to go and find Voldemort so I can kill him, _forever_.’ He let go, and allowed a soft, tired whimper to escape his lungs. ‘I fully intend on continuing this conversation afterwards so…come meet me. _Please_ …’ the sentence ended with a pending question mark but Draco only nodded, grey eyes painted in red staring into the Boy Who Lived.  
‘Oh and Draco, thank you. For that…I mean.’  
Harry left, and the platinum haired boy picked up his mother’s wand, fully intent on keeping his promise.

 

~ oOo ~

Everyone celebrated, an uproar of excitement filled the once again lively halls of Hogwarts as colourful sparks flew off of everybody’s wands, even Draco’s.  
‘Glad to see you alive, Potter’ he managed to say, when the boy came near him.  
‘Yeah, well…Voldemort was at a disadvantage.’ They both just stared at each other awkwardly, then Harry continued ‘Should we go somewhere more _private_ …maybe?’ Draco nodded and they both walked silently.  
‘If you don’t mind me asking’ Draco shook his head at the dark haired boy as he spoke, answering his question soundlessly ‘could you please explain why the sudden change of opinion? 6 years of taunting seem like a lot to simply overlook in a flash…you know what I mean?’  
‘Well’ Draco began ‘when you saved my life, I realised you had no need to do so. At that point I, for example, wouldn’t have saved yours…’ Harry simply nodded ‘But you did it anyway. Not once, but twice you came back for me, and you never reminded me of how embarrassing I looked clinging onto you, onto _life_.’ He paused, breathing deeply. ‘Truth be told, I saw in you what I always wanted for me, even though I didn’t know it. To be a good, honourable person. You were my enemy Harry, yet you risked your life to save mine.’  
‘You were never my enemy, Malfoy.’ Harry retorted ‘I just never liked you, that’s all.’  
Draco’s heart fell heavy, like no matter what he tried nothing was ever going to atone for the amount of sheit he’d done over the years.  
‘I know you don’t like me Potter, I never fooled myself to think otherwise. I just wanted to help.’ Head low, he distanced himself from the other boy, as though there was a line he shouldn’t cross.  
‘Now _Malfoy_ , you’re making me miss your snickering!´ Harry hissed, mid laughter ‘I do like you, I mean, you proved you’re a decent person, you helped me…albeit late.’ Draco just stared into Harry with half closed eyes as the boy made fun of him, jokingly.  
‘You said you were sorry’ Harry continued ‘you were the only one to do that, you know? Sure, you’re a Death Eater, but you were _never really one…were you_?’ Draco was about to interrupt as the other cut him off ‘A Death eater wouldn’t say sorry.’  
  
Draco’s grin made Harry’s struggle feel worthwhile, so they embraced silently, sealing off an agreement of newfound friendship.


	2. The Trials

~ oOo ~

Six Months and a Week Ago:

  
The trials were tedious but, mostly, Harry was just pleased to get it done with. He had enough memories from the war as it was.  
As he left the courtroom a pending thought kept him somewhat afloat in what seemed like a long journey of depression; at that moment Draco walked free, Narcissa’s hand clasped tight to his and, Lucius, the one Malfoy The Boy Who Lived couldn’t care less about, was sentenced to five years in Azkaban.  
‘Too little’ thought Harry ‘manipulative _prat_.’  
In all, he supposed that helping the Malfoys felt somewhat better than getting justice served for every other Death Eater at the Wizengamot. He couldn’t think of them as Human, couldn’t feel as though they were people, so sending them off to Azkaban was just like sending them home.  
Despair, wasn’t that what they always loved?  
Pain, they revelled in it, and now they belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short update, but I'll post 2 much longer, much more plot and interaction based chapters, don't quit on this story yet!!  
> I update uneven chapters because I feel as thought getting the message across, and using pauses to enhance an emotion for a character just feels right. There's no need to extended something like this memory when Harry's feeling as it it should be a brief thought, a brief reflection. Not a 3000 word long testament in how much he hated it...yk??
> 
> Next Chapters are: "Invitation" and "Tea for Two" <3


	3. Invitation

~ oOo ~

At 7AM sharp Harry felt a rapping upon his window, mid-sleeping he half thought it was Hedwig but alas, that couldn’t be. Snatching an owl treat, he wandlessly opened the window standing just a few meters from it, letting the beautiful ivory coloured bird fly onto his left shoulder.  
A note, in chary silver handwriting, addressed only to “Harry”, was perched at its beak.

“Sorry if Aquila rouses you at an odd hour, I wanted to get this through before Draco could stop me (we both know how he’s been).  
What I’m about to ask of you might sound like a peculiar request, and I fully understand if you decline to help us…we already owe you too much as it is. With that in mind, I pondered if my son could, perhaps, stay with you for a while (?) The Manor is in no state to be lived in, and though I can inhabit it with a clear conscience, Draco cannot.  
He has nightmares, wakes up in a sweat and avoids most of the rooms here; I fear that this house needs a refreshment but, until then, I dread for my boy’s health.  
I’m sorry to trouble you Harry, but after the war it seems like you’re Draco’s only loyal friend, however unlikely.  
Owl me with an answer as soon as possible, least my son decide to wake up early.  
  
With Love and Gratitude,  
Narcissa Malfoy”  
  
Narcissa’s request wasn’t all too strange, she saved his life in secrecy and after the trials at the Wizengamot they just…kept meeting. In those get-togethers, small tokens of appreciation were exchanged as a way to repay what could never be repaid.  
She was, to his best of knowledge, a witty, wonderfully polite witch with whom he cherished spending time with. Gryffindors are fun to hang around after all, but nothing is ever the same as a sophisticated Slytherin with kindness to spare. Her flaws, in comparison, were few and fairly meaningless.  
His relationship with Draco too had soared, they traded polite owls and even survived through candid, awkward meetings. These didn’t go by unnoticed, however, seeing as Rita Skeeter was having a field day with every encounter they happened to have…or not. Fiction was a part of her job.  
These unlikely relationships had been weirdly well accepted from both Ron and Hermione. Maybe they were too lost in themselves to care, but it seemed like it was more of a change of opinion regarding changes in opinion. The War, like to many, had turned them into overgrown teenagers and, in their adult minds, forgiveness was part of the post-conflict pleasantries. They didn’t _adore_ Malfoy, but they certainly didn’t _hate_ him, at least, not anymore. Not after a set of apologies with some side dish of butterbeer and pumpkin pasties.  
And that, in itself, resumed Harry’s life. Ron and Hermione spent less time with him and more of it together; Draco was his owl pall and having tea with Narcissa was a blast. Gryffindors and his breakup with Ginny aside, it was all fun and games (with the casual commotion and pending public disaster).

~ oOo ~

At 7:30 AM, Harry drew his answer in simple words, messy handwriting on the back of a receipt from some muggle store in uptown London.  
  
“Narcissa,  
It would be a pleasure to have him here. Send off his bags, I’ll invite him for tea and then imprison him, as per requested.  
  
Love,  
Harry”

Their shared humour wouldn’t go by unnoticed, and neither did the butterflies in Harry’s stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, I have no Beta ;^; (just a Cat, and he can barely wash himself as it is, much less comment and correct a piece of poorly written gay fanfcition).  
> His name, btw, is Draco Malfoy. Malfoy the Cat. The Cat that loves to bite people and then snuggle up to them at night.


End file.
